On Ethics

Canon 5 of the Code of Court Interpreters say:
Protocol and Demeanor
Court interpreters shall conduct themselves in a manner
consistent with the standards and protocol of the court, and
shall perform their duties as unobtrusively as possible.

But we are all human and there are cases when it is almost impossible to keep a "poker" face.

1. The client was in a wheelchair, carrying an oxygen tank. He was around 300 lbs. and had thick gold chains on his neck and gold rings in every finger.  His medical file was thick but no one mentioned he had a sleep disorder. While testifying he suddenly stopped, closed his eyes and stayed quiet for about 20 seconds. Then he opened his eyes and continued speaking normally. I thought he was thinking about his answers since he was applying for full disability. After the third time I realized he was actually falling asleep. He would stop in mid sentence, fall asleep, wake up and continued where he left off. Everyone thought this was pretty funny, including the judge. Every time he fell asleep the whole room would laugh until he woke up. And the interpreter?

2. The woman came to Court to complain about her neighbor who lived at the apartment across the hall.
- Judge: Do you know this woman?
- Woman: No, Your Honor I have never met her
- Judge: What has she done to you?
- Woman: She threw all her garbage at my front door
- Judge: And you have never met her?
- Woman: No, Your Honor
- Judge: What else happened?
- Woman: She keyed my car
- Judge: Anything else?
- Woman: Yes Sir, she calls me names: Slut, bitch, rat.
- Judge: And you don't know her...
- Woman: I don't know her but I might be sleeping with her husband!
Trying to keep a straight face while interpreting while the Courtroom was hysterical.

3. In front of a cranky judge:
The defendant was in a wheelchair. The Judge said: "everyone involve in this case stand up to be sworn". I interpreted for my client and before he could answer the judge was already screaming at me. I waited patiently and then told him: "Your Honor, the defendant can't stand because he is in a wheelchair". He didn't even acknowledged what I said. The following day, same defendant, same judge, same screaming. But this time there was a choir composed of lawyers, police officers, the defendant and even the district attorney: "YOUR HONOR, HE IS IN A WHEELCHAIR" followed by uncontrollable laughs from everyone...but me.

4. One of my favorites, and it happens more than you would think:
- Judge: where are you from?
- Defendant: Puerto Rico
- Judge: And how did you get into this country?
- Defendant: Uh?
- Judge: That means that you are an illegal alien? Do you have a visa, sir?

Interpreter: OMG

Do you see? in this profession there is not black and white.

Killing by numbers

You look scared
1, 2, 3, 4...
you are looking straight ahead
without comprehending
5, 6, 7, 8...what's happening
9. 10, 11, 12...
with a sad smile your try to explain
13, 14, 15, 16...
what went wrong
17, 18, 19, 20...
but nobody listens
21, 22, 23, 24...
as you go on
25, 26, 27, 28...
telling your story
29, 30, 31, 32... 
the one nobody wants to hear
33, 34, 35, 36, 37...
you stabbed him
38 times...
and you still don't know why.

It's a Girl!

I was sent to the hospital to interpret for a woman who was 8 months pregnant. I thought it was a routine doctor's visit. When I got there I found out it was a scheduled c-section and I had to go into the operating room with her. Surprise! I have never been a witness to anything in an operating room other than my two deliveries a long time ago. In other occasions I have been under the effects of either happy drugs or anesthesia. They proceeded to give me a green gown, slippers, head and mouth cover (not fashionable at all.)  Since this is a teaching hospital there were about 20 people in the operating room: doctors, residents, nurses, students...and the interpreter. Every 5 minutes someone would ask me if I was about to faint. I have to say that I did pretty well, I tried to concentrate in doing a good job. The woman had diabetes and heart problems and had to be monitored constantly.
And then she was born, and mom and dad were crying and I was stuck in the middle of their embrace. I was happy too. Then there was that moment when the doctor picked up the child and showed her to the parents. This is to her:

If I could only

for a single moment

look inside your soul

and discover

the real you, your essence

that of a child 

just born

with wet hair and

a bloody face, and legs

dangling like a rag doll

but oh, so perfect

blessed miracle

infinite joy!

The Wedding

I received the frantic call on a Thursday afternoon. She sounded upset. "My wedding is on Saturday", she said, "I need an interpreter". I thought this was strange, but I listened."My fiance speaks very little English and we need somebody to interpret the ceremony for him, he doesn't want to miss anything".
I do Court and Medical interpreting, and in my line of work very few moments are happy or romantic, so this looked like a good opportunity to do something different.
While I was explaining a few things, and giving her my fee, I was thinking that he was probably marrying her to get his residency or something of the sort. Their pastor called me and he kindly faxed me the entire ceremony, which I proceeded to translate. Saturday came and I had a hard time getting dressed: I was not a guest, I was not family, I was not part of it in any way. But how wrong I was. I WAS PART OF IT, a big part.
The wedding was at their house. When I got there the bride was inside getting dressed, with her mom and sisters. The kitchen was full of food, there were flowers and happiness everywhere. The groom was outside in the backyard with his family. A handsome man wearing a white suit, a bright blue shirt and a wonderful smile. I introduced myself and was greeted like a rock star, everybody thanking me for being there. I was surprised to realize that this wasn't a marriage of convenience. There was true love here. I heard their story, and I saw how the two families were happy for the couple and how much they all liked each other. Americans and Mexicans, drinking, laughing, sharing the moment.
The pastor was a young man and this was a first for him also. We agreed in a few things. The entire ceremony would be whispered to the groom, his vows would be spoken by me in English and the bride's in Spanish for everyone to hear. At this point I was more nervous than the bride.
It was a beautiful ceremony, they looked at each other with total adoration and when they said their vows  there wasn't a single dry eye in the garden, including mine.
There were pictures, videos and hugs. I had a glass of champagne and left feeling light and happy.
Driving to my house I suddenly realized that I was forever linked to these people. I was in the pictures, I was in the video of the ceremony - the Bride, the Groom...and the Interpreter.

On being an interpreter

I am a certified court interpreter with 13 years of experience. First as a community interpreter, then medical and court. I love my job because of the variety of cases and the people involved, but sometimes I get out of an assignment and I feel a heaviness in my heart that is difficult to explain. 

My job has taken me to the maximum security area of the jail, to an operating room, weddings, and even a bug infested house. Friends ask me if I have ever felt threatened. The answer is no, I believe that if you treat somebody with respect you will get respect back. 

One thing I have to mention is that I receive hundreds of blessings a month, and that feels good.

I started making an effort to observe everything and everybody around me and started writing about what I saw. Finally, and with a little push from my friends and family I decided to share my stories.